We’re thrilled to share that our May Book Club pick is We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby! Samantha is the author of Meaty: Essays and creator of the blog “bitches gotta eat.” The essays in We Are Never Meeting in Real Life span topics as varied as living on a budget, explaining why Irby should be the next Bachelorette, a disastrous pilgrimage-slash-romantic-vacation to Nashville to […]

Cable television channel FX has purchased Meaty, a comedy series based on Samantha Irby’s memoir of the same title. Developed by Irby, Jessi Klein (head writer for Inside Amy Schumer, author of You’ll Get Over It), and Abbi Jacobson (Broad City, author of forthcoming Carry this Book), the show will focus on “failed relationships, taco feasts, […]

Every one of these gorgeously written books will explode your brain and the stories will transport you, even as they grapple with binaries, traditional roles, narrow expectations, breaking free, who we are…. and who we long to be. Sex, gender, identity, sexuality…as much as anything, this reading list is about being human. Enjoy.

Between the holidays and the weather, it’s a quiet week here in Chicago. If you’re jonesing for some word love, you’ve still got a few options. Sunday 12/22: As always, Marc Smith and J.W. Basilo are hosting the Uptown Poetry Slam. Come see local 7 p.m., $6, The Green Mill. Monday 12/23: Still looking for the perfect gift? […]

Sunday 12/8: The Uptown Poetry Slam keeps up its weekly schedule. Stop in early for the open mic, and then stay late for the slam itself. 7 p.m., $6, The Green Mill. Monday 12/9: It’s a busy week for The Moth. They kick off this week with the usual StorySLAM at Haymarket, with stories on the theme of […]

Sunday 12/1: It’s the last night of Here’s the Story for 2013, and it’s a doozy. For this year end celebration, they ditch the open mic portion and have a lineup of audience-selected favorites. Come out for the usual potluck, and listen to the year’s best stories. 7:30 p.m., $8 (or a dish to share), […]

Sunday 11/24: The Chicago Book Expo is taking over St. Augustine College! Come spend the day listening to authors of all stripes (including Rumpus favorites Sam Irby, Dimitry Samarov, Martha Bayne, and Aleksander Hemon) talk about their passions and projects. Buy books, network with publishers, and take part in writing workshops. 11 AM, Free, St. Augustine […]

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Welcome to The Rumpus! We’re thrilled you’re here. We know how easy it is to find pop culture on the Internet, so we’re here to give you something more challenging, to show you how beautiful things are when you step off the beaten path. The Rumpus is a place where people come to be themselves through their writing, to tell their stories or speak their minds in the most artful and authentic way they know how. We strive to be a platform for marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere. We want to shine a light on stories that build bridges, tear down walls, and speak truth to power.